Mouth Ulcers Before Getting Sick (Flu)

Hi there, I am a 27 year old chronic mouth ulcer sufferer (male) and my heart goes out to all you other sufferers out there!

Anyway, I was just wondering if anybody's mouth ulcer cycle is similar to mine...

I get the flu quite frequently (about 6 times a year)...funny thing is, I get "warning" signals before I get sick. First come the mouth ulcers and random locations in my throat, mouth and tongue. Not a day passes and BAM - down with the flu! The only other time i get mouth ulcers is when i bite my mouth in some way.

Conclusion? I get mouth ulcers when my immune system is run down...the strange thing is that i have had EVERY blood test under the sun and docs say I am fine, just reallly unlucky.

Any similar experiences?

Cheers,
Miserable Ulcer Man.

9 February 09

I used to get canker sores from time to time, and they typically came a few days before I got sick. Try using listerine - it should prevent them, or make them go away if you currently have them, and it should also help prevent you from getting sick. Also, take a daily multivitamin if you aren't already. Every little boost to your immune system can help.

Some Small Advice 23 February 09

Same here, I guess it's to do with your immune system stepping up a gear. I'm not entirely sure of this and its only my theory, but I think some ulcers could be caused by an over active immune system attacking your own body.

Paul Clift 27 February 09

I am getting three ulcers now in my mouth and i have already got some on my tongue . It has been about a week since i had my last batch of ulcers. As soon as i get an ulcer i feel ill and fluey and really run down, but i am not run down i have a healthy diet and it is only when i get an ulcer that the symptons.

Sarah 7 March 09

Miserable Ulcer Man,
I'm in exactly the same situation as you, although I'm 33.
I always get ulcers when suffering from a cold or flu ... this year I have also taken the measure of paying £10 to get a flu jab from Tesco. So far I've not had flu and not had a MAJOR outbreak since Nov (although I've had a few minor ones).
Give it a try .... Might be the best £10 you've ever spent!

Gopher 11 March 09

yeah me too whenever i have flu, the ulcers will be around..at first i thot it was HFMD

Rese 27 March 09

yes, I consider it my warning symbol also. The roof of my mouth all swells up, it is painful to eat and I get ulcers in my gum. I have tried listerine in the past and I do think that helped. I will have some now! thanks for the reminder

nat 27 March 09

Hi, Even myself also in the samiliar situation.. I have been suffering from Viral fever from around 5 days..i have got two Ulcer..one is on toungue and another one one is backpart of the lip...

AK 18 April 09

I also use this as a warning system! I wouldn't go far as saying I get the flu, usually a mild version. I have an ulser now so was searching to see if anyone else has a theory on this.

Sam 19 November 09

I would agree with Paul - most of the evidence is pointing to ulcers being formed by an over-active immune system (in the same way people suffer with ulcerative colitis). So when you have the beginnings of a bug, your immune system kicks in and Bingo - ulcers galore. I am just getting over a cold so my six are starting to calm down a bit. Managed to squeeze the last bit out of my last tube of Adcortyl last night......sob....going to miss that disgusting goo!

Kate 19 November 09

try magnesium zinc and vitamin b12 to boost the immune system

Mickey 22 November 09

I am so glad I saw this review. I thought the only type of vival ulcer is from HIV, because I read it on wiki.......
fewwww.........getting my results in 3 days.......not as scared now.....

... 29 March 10

I've had huge ulcers on my tongue for the past week, i've still got them but now i feel really fluey all i want to do is sleep!!!

jen 29 June 10

I get them regularly, everytime before a cold. What often happens is the immune system begins to attack the foreign antigen which is a virus of some sort and so lacks, or lags vehind, in attending the mouth ulcer

phil 27 July 10

I never used to get them, but since i've been going out with my current g/f of yr+, I now get the ulcers when I'm coming down with something like flu or even something as minor as a cold...

robs 25 January 11

My sister has breast cancer and is under going CHEMO.......after every treatment she gets ulcers........yeah I think it is the immune system attacking.....

Debbie 18 February 11

Yes, a very good early warning system before a cold, but a very painful one. I don't get a full cold, it tends to stay mild throughout it's course then totally ending along with the ulcers. This has become more common since stopping smoking. never suffered before

Matthew Waldron 22 September 11

I'm on about the 4th day of a mild virus and have an ulcer under my tongue. Mild virus is annoying I'm self-employed stuck between defining myself as ill and "work or not work?" (it is weekend). Apparently men really do get worse "man-flu" as they don't have something called "estrogen" which women do because it's more important to be immune as child bearers. Too much cheese also gives my mouth ulcers. Things like this can be annoying on moving parts of anatomy, especially on parts with more nerves like the tongue.

G man 11 March 12

Hi, I too have reacurring mouth ulcers, but I have been diagnoised with candida so my guess is that it is my immune system being overactive and fighting of the foriegn antigen.

aaron 14 January 13

I stopped smoking bout a year back and up to then no ulcers...then a few weeks in I start getting them constant for 5 months,i tryd everything and they just stayed constant,the only thing that did help was corsodyl, I am still getting them now 12 months on but not as severe,its certainly a immune system problem,as only get them nowabefore a cold or flu and feel run down, I went mad no knowing what caused them had blood tests and dentirt just to say am ok,now when I get them they dont bother mer me am just used to getting them when run down..but I feel for anybody who suffers the pain and worries what comes with them.

joseph 14 August 13

I have been getting mouth ulcers for about 15 years. They started after the birth if my last child. My ulcers start to come and in a day or two I'm sick. I also have dry eye and my eyes hurt terrible before I get sick and while I'm sick. I've told 3 different Dr's and they act like I'm crazy. So I just live with it. I'm so glad I found this site. Sorry there are others who suffer but happy I'm not alone or crazy.

Maria 8 July 14

Hey guys. Like you all I suffer from constant outbreaks of canker sores. They always coincide with me getting sick. Basically from my research and talking to docs, they happen because the immune system is compromised (from the I'll illness) so the body cannot defend against the invaders in the mouth. Most likely if you have this, you have a suppressed immune system.

Recently after meeting with some very specialized doctors and getting some blood tests done, I was diagnosed with mold illness. Only some people (about 25%) have the gene which makes it possible to get this. Essentially your body gets infected with mold (like a fungal infection), and is unable to rid itself of the foriegn invader. This wears down the immune system and effectively suppresses it. It can manifest itself in many ways but generally people who have it get sick very often who are otherwise healthy. This is a fairly new area of study in the medical community so notaby doctors know about it. It might be worth checking out especially since my doc said if left untreated it can potentially lead to leukemia.

Kyle 24 January 15

I've got 3 mouth ulcers and I hav got flu as the doctor said... I goggled and found that these are starting symptoms of HIV.... Help am scared... But I haven't had any penetration sex just a quick foreplay.....

anonymous 27 February 15

Yeah def an over active immune system...possibly linked to hyperthyroidism? Doctors are crap with sympathising with sufferers

Laura 16 June 15

I have been getting these ulcers for a few years every time i get a sore throat then the ulcers come plus strwberry tounge then the head cold. Very painful as my teeth are broken as well and the sharp edges dig in wen i speak. Only been happening since my eating habits became poorer. Local doc says its nothing to worry about but i believe it is a warning sign to me that something is not right. Im going to try multi vits from now on because every time thos happens its when im being relied on at work or something important needs doing. I just have to push through it

grant 22 December 15

Hi there I am Dominic i'm 17 and i was coming down with something on a thursday night and woke up with a bunch of inflamation on my tongue roof of my mouth and in tooth area just wondering how to treat it ??? Anything will help!!

Dominic P 29 February 16

OMG Miserable Ulcer Man,

You've just described me. This is so not my imagination. I think it makes sense though!

R. Dubs 15 April 16

My 15 month old daughter gets spots on her tongue, kind of looks like geographic tongue right before she gets sick. It scares me so much and I cannot find anything at all to help me to help her. Doctors keep saying thrush but after taking specimen they tell me it's not thrush and not to worry about it. Why do they treat and not cure the problems. I hate how greedy pharmaceutical companies are. If anyone can help In correctly diagnosing this please email me at Mike.p1984@hotmail.com. any or all help appreciated. God bless you all.

Mike 12 May 16

Hi i get regular bouts of mouth ulcers swollen tongue and so bad cant talk sometimes i get this then few days later im layed up no energy joint pain really horrible docter thinks rumatoid arthritis but called seronegative because had 2 years blood tests dont show up anything except raised inflamortory levels and white cells so now at last being taken seriously somedays cant walk keep on at docter dont let them fob u off

Debbie 16 May 16

I got sick on a Wednesday and I got like four or five canker sores in my mouth three on my tongue and two on my lips. I get them every time I'm sick with a cold or a flu. I feel bad for all you other guys who get them.

Maddie 17 December 16

Just found this site. After having rashes, repeated impetigo and random infections from childhood I finally got diagnosed with mild chronic neutropenia 3 years ago. Anyway this year I noticed that two days before I get a cold I get a sore mouth and mouth ulcers. The thing is that it wasn't a doctor that diagnosed me but a nurse practitioner. The GP who saw me before my diagnosis had actually taken blood from me a few years earlier, and when the receptionist had made an appointment due to the abnormal test results, he shouted at me during the appointment that there was nothing wrong and I was wasting his time. I eventually got all my test results from the time I was with that practice as is my right under the Data Protection Act 1998 and discovered the low neutrophil count was on that test. I've asked a couple of other GPs about the results and they just shrugged or said something stupid, it was only when I asked a paediatrician I got some information. Anyway he sees decreased white blood cell count abnormalities all the time, however they think in adults they should disappear. In fact looking at the research in many adults they sponanously appear or are always there. So anyone who has had blood tests regardless of whether you are told they are "normal" or not do a Data Subject Access Request to get a copy of the test results to confirm this yourself.

Sarah 5 January 17

For about the last ten years (I am 62) I have gotten sores on the roof of my mouth just prior to getting sick. Sore(s) come and about one day later I get sick--seems like any viral infection will cause the sores first. My dentist told me that this is fairly common. Interestingly, both my daughters get sores too sometimes before they get sick.

Myra Chandler 20 January 18

I am 25 and also get a canker sore on my tongue usually one or two days before a sore throat.

Casey S 31 January 18

I also had a bad time with frequent canker sores for many years. They continued to get worse and more frequent which was very concerning. My doc said avoid acidic food, but like many others was told that I was just outta luck. After some searching, I switched my toothpaste about 3 years ago. I no longer use any toothpaste with sodium lauryl sulfate. This was a weird feeling at first because I think this is what causes the toothpaste to get bubbly and foamy. Anyhow, I have found 2 brands of all natural toothpaste that does not contain the SLS. I wish I would have tried this sooner. I went from multiple sores in my mouth all the time, especially right before I got sick... to maybe having a sore only if I accidentally bite my lip or cheek &#128556; I know it may not be the answer for everyone, but I never expected it would be something so simple for me.

Tracey 17 February 18

40, male. Have had mouth ulcers since early teens. Shows up either just before or at the end of being sick. Usually any kind of flu like stuff and BAM. On lips, tongue...anywhere in there. Lips are the worst though. Anyhow, blood tests are ok, no STDs either. Just no reason found. Everyone knows its overactive immune system related. No one can nail down any specific disease or cause or anything. Heard it could be toxic mold related as one example. And I do have other symptoms of THAT but they're very broad and its hard to diagnose. Keep digging guys and gals. I have used listerine, magic mouthwash (basically lidocaine) etc. But haven't tried the toothpaste without the SLS as someone else mentioned, thanks for that. Not of fan of sulfates in anything in general for my own crazy reasons but it could help. I also used very warm saltwater rinse especially in the morning when the worst swelling is and you get that gross gunk around the sores (mainly lips) and it works well to gargle with. And one warning for magic mouth was, it works great, numbs EVERYTHING, but do NOT EAT OR TALK alot right after using it. You will BITE you're TONGUE or cheek and make more sores lol...just be careful using it. I use it before bed so I can fall asleep withiut pain. Will be back if I can find anything else. Tired of this happening and no one believes us.

Dr. BananaMan 18 February 18

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